Microsoft Satya Nadella's email to employees on first day
India Today Online New Delhi, February 4, 2014 | UPDATED 21:03 IST
Today is a very humbling day for me. It reminds me of my very first day at
Microsoft, 22 years ago. Like you, I had a choice about where to come to
work. I came here because I believed Microsoft was the best company in the
world. I saw then how clearly we empower people to do magical things with
our creations and ultimately make the world a better place. I knew there was
no better company to join if I wanted to make a difference. This is the very
same inspiration that continues to drive me today.
It is an incredible honour for me to lead and serve this great company of
ours. Steve and Bill have taken it from an idea to one of the greatest and
most universally admired companies in the world. I've been fortunate to work
closely with both Bill and Steve in my different roles at Microsoft, and as
I step in as CEO, I've asked Bill to devote additional time to the company,
focused on technology and products. I'm also looking forward to working with
John Thompson as our new Chairman of the Board.
While we have seen great success, we are hungry to do more. Our industry
does not respect tradition - it only respects innovation. This is a critical
time for the industry and for Microsoft. Make no mistake, we are headed for
greater places - as technology evolves and we evolve with and ahead of it.
Our job is to ensure that Microsoft thrives in a mobile and cloud-first
world.
As we start a new phase of our journey together, I wanted to share some
background on myself and what inspires and motivates me.
Who am I?
I am 46. I've been married for 22 years and we have 3 kids. And like anyone
else, a lot of what I do and how I think has been shaped by my family and my
overall life experiences. Many who know me say I am also defined by my
curiosity and thirst for learning. I buy more books than I can finish. I
sign up for more online courses than I can complete. I fundamentally believe
that if you are not learning new things, you stop doing great and useful
things. So family, curiosity and hunger for knowledge all define me.
Why am I here?
I am here for the same reason I think most people join Microsoft - to change
the world through technology that empowers people to do amazing things. I
know it can sound hyperbolic - and yet it's true. We have done it, we're
doing it today, and we are the team that will do it again.
I believe over the next decade computing will become even more ubiquitous
and intelligence will become ambient. The coevolution of software and new
hardware form factors will intermediate and digitize - many of the things we
do and experience in business, life and our world. This will be made
possible by an ever-growing network of connected devices, incredible
computing capacity from the cloud, insights from big data, and intelligence
from machine learning.
This is a software-powered world.
It will better connect us to our friends and families and help us see,
express, and share our world in ways never before possible. It will enable
businesses to engage customers in more meaningful ways.
I am here because we have unparalleled capability to make an impact.
Why are we here?
In our early history, our mission was about the PC on every desk and home, a
goal we have mostly achieved in the developed world. Today we're focused on
a broader range of devices. While the deal is not yet complete, we will
welcome to our family Nokia devices and services and the new mobile
capabilities they bring us.
As we look forward, we must zero in on what Microsoft can uniquely
contribute to the world. The opportunity ahead will require us to reimagine
a lot of what we have done in the past for a mobile and cloud-first world,
and do new things.
We are the only ones who can harness the power of software and deliver it
through devices and services that truly empower every individual and every
organization. We are the only company with history and continued focus in
building platforms and ecosystems that create broad opportunity.
Qi Lu captured it well in a recent meeting when he said that Microsoft
uniquely empowers people to "do more." This doesn't mean that we need to do
more things, but that the work we do empowers the world to do more of what
they care about - get stuff done, have fun, communicate and accomplish great
things. This is the core of who we are, and driving this core value in all
that we do - be it the cloud or device experiences - is why we are here.
What do we do next?
To paraphrase a quote from Oscar Wilde - we need to believe in the
impossible and remove the improbable.
This starts with clarity of purpose and sense of mission that will lead us
to imagine the impossible and deliver it. We need to prioritize innovation
that is centered on our core value of empowering users and organizations to
"do more." We have picked a set of high-value activities as part of our One
Microsoft strategy. And with every service and device launch going forward
we need to bring more innovation to bear around these scenarios.
Next, every one of us needs to do our best work, lead and help drive
cultural change. We sometimes underestimate what we each can do to make
things happen and overestimate what others need to do to move us forward. We
must change this.
Finally, I truly believe that each of us must find meaning in our work. The
best work happens when you know that it's not just work, but something that
will improve other people's lives. This is the opportunity that drives each
of us at this company.
Many companies aspire to change the world. But very few have all the
elements required: talent, resources, and perseverance. Microsoft has proven
that it has all three in abundance. And as the new CEO, I can't ask for a
better foundation.
Let's build on this foundation together.
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